Adopting in Arizona
Arizona has many children in the foster care system who are available for adoption, children who are not able to return home to their parents. These children need permanent homes. The Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) hopes to find families for children who have been victims of abuse, neglect, and abandonment.
Arizona waiting children range in age from infant to teen. Some children may have behavioral and/or medical needs. Other children are part of sibling groups that should not be separated. Arizona children who are deemed to have special needs are often supported with state funding to assist in their care, called a subsidy. The adoption process is often at little or no cost.
Those who would like to complete an Arizona adoption through the foster care system should:
attend an agency orientation meeting,submit an application,
attend pre-adoption training,
get a home study performed (Mutual Assessment and Family and Home Evaluation) and approved
Placement of a child in the home takes place after requirements have been met.
Applicants must be at least 21 years old. Each family will have to have its home inspected to make sure that the living environment is safe for the child. Families must have some type of transportation and a telephone or a similar communication device. Those who wish to adopt must also show that they are stable and mature. Commitment and dependability are also characteristics that adoptive parents are required to have. They must have flexibility, a sense of humor, and a genuine love for children. It is also very important that the adoptive parent is willing to advocate for their child and at the same time be able to work with many different people who will be involved in the adoption process.
The application requires references, as well as family, financial, and health information. In addition, fingerprinting for a criminal records check is necessary and a protective services records check. Pre-adoption training consists of 5 - 8 sessions of 3 hours each. These sessions will also help prospective adoptive parents decide if they want to be foster parents or adoptive parents, since the preliminary steps are similar.
There are many children in need of adoptive homes, and not all are in the foster care system. Private Arizona adoptions usually involve the adoption of infants and younger children. Licensed adoption agencies and adoption attorneys are usually involved in these Arizon adoptions. There are also licensed Arizona adoption agencies that handle international adoptions.
For each type of adoption, a home study is required.
During the Mutual Assessment, Family, and Home Evaluation (home study), a licensed home study preparer asks for information concerning personal history and desire to be an adoptive parent. He/she will ask many questions about the prospective parents' life, health, finances, and the type of child they are hoping to adopt. They will do interviews with all household members and use the information they have learned about the family and home to write the home study. The home study is submitted to state and/or country authorities and if approved, parents may proceed with the steps to adoption.
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